For those of us that play minecraft, yes I stole that from mojang, I admit it. Anyway, as some of you may know, the government is trying to pass a bill that will pretty much censore the internet; I have been watching this bill for awhile but todays internet blackout has convinced me I should do more than watch. I understand the need to get rid of internet piracy, a company has a right to sell there product, but I feel it irresponsible and true knee-jerk reaction to give any one body the power to shut down a website based on vague reasoning.

Google has posted a petition and I am posting here, I know it isn't much but it's better than doing nothing. If you try to go to wikipedia today you can enter your zip code and it will give a list of your representatives (for those that live i nthe U.S., not sure how it would work for everyone else), I think we should all write our reps and tell them what we think. Here is a list of U.S. representatives that support and oppse the bill, I was about right mine but he seems to be against it . I wanted to make this thread to get more ideas circulating on what we can do to stop this bill. If left unopposed, the bill could do alot more damage than it would fix; how many buisnesses have become succesful because of the internet, or individuals that got their work known because of the it?? The internet is, by its very nature, the embodiment of freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas; I have no doubt the form of the internet will change in the future but these changes should make it a safer place to be, not destroy what it is.

This should be a globally handled issue, rather than US citizens writing to congress, it should be the worlds population forming a massive community (Kinda like Nerdfighteria) via the electric river that is the internet, developing an innovative way to Project our articulate and insightful collective opinion on how these Bills are wrong and showing US congress just how influential and powerful the internet is, just as it is now.

I completely agree that the global community should band together and try to talk the American government out of this, its a very bad idea on many levels Like I said in my first post, I wanted us to get together here and brainstorm on what we can do (legally of course). I posted what I know to do,it aint much but it is all I can do in my very limited circle of influence (ie none). I heard that group on readit was gathering money to help fund politicians oppsed to the bill...not sure how that would help, I thought this would be a vote not a court hearing.

We cant let fear decide our fate. We need to gather as many as we can, get the word out, unify, watch our flag ascend, whatever fucking song lyrics you need to get that fire in your belly going, whatever turns ya on to this, this SOPA shit is garbage, and as global citizens we gotta stand strong and call US congress out on their bullshit, wake them up, let them know that this SOPA shit, is in fact, garbage and will throw the world in the fuckin dark like cold war 2-point-fuckin-0.

Ha! As if the people in charge would let the common man have a vote on something this big. Personally I think its up to the other world leaders too say Americas world policing has gone too far now.

Your right cricco, we should do nothing and hope the world leaders stop the evil satan that is america from taking over the world....

I gotta agree with firefrog, its good to see that the big companies are standing behind 'the common man'. I love that google is on this, those guys are powerful enough to be scary. I just wish there was something we could do other than pettitions, I dont put much stock in online pettitions but I can't think of anything else. I suppose I could throw money at the problem but I wouldn't know who is legitmately trying to help and who wants to take advantage of us well meanig goofs.

The problem is if they pass it they won't have to enforce it. It will be the basis for the decision on lawsuits. The government will be able to censor, but they won't have to. If someone posts copywritten material, the owner will sue and win based on this law. Website has to pay...shuts down because they can't afford that again...lawyers make money...lawyers lobby the congress to make more laws...congressmen make money...spend money to get re-elected....Yea America is great!

Don't worry too much though there is a ton of backlash about this and it will get "sent to committee" never to see the light of day again....I hope.

I can't agree with you more stan, the internet is quickly becoming the world's consciousness. We are finally getting to that point where the lines on the map are starting to fade away and now someone wants to censore the thing that is making it possible for us to be citizens of the Earth and not our seprate nations??

Even stepping back from my grandious idea there, money stands to be lost from this bill. If it passes internet technology and buisness will be a risky investment and many people wont invest because of it. Internet companies, or worse yet, indivduals who make a living off the internet will have a harder time doing so and thats if they manage it at all. Fortunately, I read that the sopa bill is going under some kind of review...hopefully that means we wont hear of it again, but pipa is still out there and I'm with stan on not giving up on letting the world know how bad of idea sopa is.

If we don't let them know they did wrong they will continue to think it is ok.

Just saying, before you guys get your Anti-US panties in a bunch, you should probably realize that SOPA isn't America trying to knock the peas off of all of your plates, it's America affecting Americans and websites based in America. You'll be fine, we'll be fucked. The most you'll come across is having problems trying to access an american website.

Also, SOPA has been shelved. The worst that will happen is that it will come back after the major idiocy has been cut out, and that won't be for a very long time. I mean, you guys seem damn near ready to riot in the streets about this, and you don't really seem to know why it's worth being upset over.